A Good Man
by Arhani 'Hanny' Daforcena
Summary: It began as an ordinary morning for Chizuru, but when Hijikata brings out for a short outing, she meets a man who she instantly deems a good man, although she does not know his allegiances until much later. Slight AU. HijikataXChizuru. Title Changed
1. Prologue

Morning, and what a beautiful morning it was. The clear autumn sky was blue and cloudless, while the ground looked as if it had been paved with gold from the leaves that had fallen from their respective boughs. Although it meant more sweeping for her, she did not mind one bit. It was good to be outdoors that day, when the wind was calm and the sun was more forgiving. It was a beautiful day indeed, but she knew that there was more to that day than what could be seen on the surface. Through her days with the Shinsen-Gumi, Yukimura Chizuru knew that there was always something happening in the shadows, where the guardians of the Bakufu would sniff out, and lay them in the open.

That afternoon itself, during lunchtime, Saito had returned from his patrolling rounds with grim news. Chizuru could not remember the name of that man, or what his position was, but she remembered clearly that Saito stated that the deceased official had died by being cut vertically into half until the waist; it was a morbid, uncivilized way to die.

"What kind of man would do such a thing?" Chizuru asked aloud, and immediately a heavy silence fell across the room. It was not that she had said anything out of place, the men in the Shinsen-Gumi had never used their position to stifle her, but her words gave them something to ponder over, a rising enemy that posed great dangers to them.

Hijikata was the first one who answered her. "A monster," he said bluntly. "Reports have come in stating eyewitness accounts that he kills just in one stroke, the very moment after his katana exits its saya."

"Battoujutsu?" Heisuke asked Hijikata, noting that little-known and little-practiced style of kenjutsu. It was different than other techniques based upon the katana, and was one that required not only speed, but quick wit and strategic planning. In short, whoever could use this technique was a total master in kenjutsu, unbeaten in the field of battle.

Kondou scratched the underside of his chin. "In any case, we should all be careful," he told his fellow subordinates. "We don't know who this person is, but we know what he's up to, since he's been killing the right people at the right time. There's hard guesses as to where his allegiances lie."

"A Satcho dog on the loose, eh?" Harada concluded. "I'd say let him come, I'll show him the taste of my spear any time of the day."

"Really?" Shinpachi asked Harada. "Aren't you scared that you're slashed into half right down in the middle, or maybe he'd do it horizontally instead?"

Chizuru grimaced. If Shinpachi would continue further, she was not sure if she could keep what she had eaten so far down. She knew that war was a grizzly business, that gore and carnage was common, she had seen people die herself with her own eyes, but this amount of detail was just too much. However, as always, she cast down her eyes towards the tatami flooring, wondering if whether or not she should say anything at all to stop the overflow of detail.

Thankfully, for her, help came in the form of Hijikata, who cleared his throat. "That's enough," he told the bickering duo. "Can't you see that you're making Chizuru feel unwell?" The two of them stopped immediately and quickly offered Chizuru their apologies. "As penance, the two of you are to take over Chizuru's chores for today, no excuses."

"Hijikata-san, that's not really necessary," Chizuru protested, but was stopped by Kondou.

"That's alright, Chizuru," the commander of the Shinsen-Gumi said. "You deserve a break. In fact, Toshi knows just the place where you can relax and have some fun." There was a mischievous grin upon Kondou's face, one that Chizuru knew often appeared when he was teasing his subordinates, and however, there was something about the notion of getting out of the headquarters just for the sake of it lifted the girl's mood. She really had been cooped up in there for far too long.

Okita crossed his arms before his chest and chuckled. "It seems that Hijikata-san has already planned this special outing very early on," he teased Chizuru. "It must be your lucky day, Chizuru-chan."

There was no need to tell that Chizuru started to blush immediately. "Let's go," Hijikata said to her, rising from his seated position. The two of them bowed and left the room promptly, not realizing that the rest of them were eyeing them very, very curiously.

"I'm going to bet three ryo that Hijikata will confess his great love to Chizuru in a month," Shinpachi proclaimed once he was sure that the pair was out of earshot.

"Only three?" Heisuke asked excitedly. "I'm going to bet four!"

"Five," Saito said in his usual tone of voice, which was an unusual change because he rarely engaged in the frivolities of his comrades.

Kondou clicked his tongue. "You boys are putting an extremely huge amount of pressure on Toshi, you should be ashamed of yourselves," he chided them. "But, I might as well join in with the fun. I'll part with twenty ryo if Toshi marries her by winter."

* * *

><p>HAN: Hello everyone! Welcome to the prologue of my first Hakuouki fanfic! ^.^ I've just finished the series a few days ago, and I have to say this: I love it! I'll keep this fic short and sweet, and expect a cameo from a very familiar anime character from another fandom! ^.^ Hijikata shaped cookies for you if you can guess who it is, heh heh heh.<p> 


	2. A Good Man

The very moment after they had exited the city gates, Hijikata had taken her hand in his and led her excitedly towards the mountains that guarded the ancient flower of Japan, his pace quickening at once the very moment the roar of flowing water could be heard. He led her to a clearing, but the path ended there. There was greenery all around them, but, then again, there was no sign of any body of water in any direction except forwards…

"I want you to close your eyes, Chizuru," he said, his tone of voice stern, as if he had been giving the men their orders. Chizuru obeyed at once, but with one of his hands, he covered her eyes just for good measure. She did not even make a sound, but he knew that she already had some inkling of what he was going to show her, and as a swordsman, he could literally feel her heartbeat increasing in speed with anticipation. "Do not try to peek."

She pouted ever so slightly. How could he have known what she was going to try to do? His large hand may be covering her eyes, but she felt that he was holding his fingers so loosely that they only barely closed. They took a few more steps forwards, and then, she heard the faint rustling of leaves… Was he lifting a tree-branch? The sounds of the water were getting stronger, and Chizuru soon became aware that they were no longer on the path they had been walking on. He led her on carefully, making sure that she did not fall from the gradually roughening terrain of increasingly large tree-roots, which were quickly replaced by rocks of various sizes…

"Tread carefully," he added, and a few short moments later, he came to an utter halt. "Now, you can look," he said, and removed his hand.

Chizuru opened her eyes and was astounded the very moment she saw the waterfall right in front of them, so tall that it could have touched the very clouds. They could not see the very top of the waterfall from where they were, but already, it was a majestic sight to behold, what with its sapphire-hued waters cascading downwards towards a pool surrounded by rocks, shallow enough for children to wade in, which reflected the light of the sun onto the stone outcropping… She was sure that she had not seen such beauty in her lifetime.

"Hijikata-san, how did you find this place?" Chizuru asked Hijikata, who was leaning against a tree, smiling for reasons unknown to her. Casually, he uncrossed his arms and walked towards her, feeling her gaze remaining upon him as he stepped forward. He seemed to be contemplating something, as if he was wondering whether or not to tell her one side of the truth that he decided she should not hear, but that did not keep her from silently demanding the answer, any answer, from him, in fact.

"I don't really know, actually," he finally answered with a particularly labored exhale of breath. "I just decided that I wanted to see the forest, and went in this direction." That was always how he had worked in the past, leaving it all to occur naturally. But back then, they had nothing to lose, being just a group of ronin bound to one another. Now, they were a group of ronin bound to one another with a great cause to protect everything that they had chose to, and that had made all the difference, adding the weight to his shoulders that he knew no other could carry for him. He no longer had the freedom that he once taken for granted, not when there was a great many deeds laid out before himself and the Shinsen-Gumi. "There's something about this place that brings me peace..."

Chizuru smiled at his words, nodded. She sat down upon the green grass near Hijikata and closed her eyes, allowing the sounds of nature to soothe her mind, and in her silent, half-meditative state, she could feel the vice-commander sitting down next to her. Opening one of her eyes, as if to peek at him, she saw that he was more or less in a posture like she was, his black hair blowing softly in the breeze that seemed to have followed them ever since they were out of the city. She smiled inwardly. She had never seen Hijikata in such a relaxed mood, his expression no longer stern nor cold.

"I can tell that Hijikata-san likes this place a lot," she told him after fully opening her eyes again. It was as if he was a completely different man, as if the weight upon his shoulders had been removed, if only for a moment.

"If you wish for it, we can come here again any time you like," he replied, ruffling the top of her head for the slightest moment. "Within reason, of course."

She did not need even a single moment to give her answer. She knew that he was a highly busy man, but given the chance, she surely would relish the opportunity to visit such a beautiful place with him again. "I would love to," she replied, nodding gently, casting her eyes downwards as she gave him a slight bow to show her gratitude.

However, in doing so, Hijikata raised her chin with his fingers, indirectly forcing her to look into his dark eyes that shone of violet. "There is no need for such formality when you are with me, Chizuru," he told her, his smile still present. "Not when we are alone in a place like this."

She did not know what he meant by those words, but there was something in his voice when he said those words that made her all giddy with joy, making her blush at that precise moment. Hijikata chuckled, and released his hold over her. Instead, he crossed his arms and began to doze off, in one of the rare opportunities that he could afford to do so.

A few moments passed, and Chizuru soon found Hijikata sound asleep, but she was nowhere near being sleepy at all. Thus, she decided to explore the entire mountain, knowing that she would not get lost if she remained upon the path where they had come from. The problem was, however, finding her way back onto the path because Hijikata had her cover her eyes before they came to the waterfall, but that was of little difficulty, because it took her no time to find the tree-branch that she felt him lift just moments before he allowed her to open her eyes again.

"I'll not take long," she told herself and looked at the sleeping Oni-fukuchou one last time before creeping off towards the mountain-path by herself.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, the mountain was not wholly uninhabited, judging by the path that led deeper into the mountain. There was a village not far away from the waterfall where paddy was grown in terraces, a rather common sight in places like that throughout the country, but what caught her eye, was something that looked not quite right. There was an open field where the lines of trees ended, and in that field, there were strange formations of what could be called as sticks, arranged like the character "ten". There were rows and rows of them, and in the very center, were three rocks.<p>

"It is a cemetery," a voice from behind her said. She turned around to see who it was, and found that the owner of the voice was a male, more or less Heisuke's age, with red hair and eyes just like Hijikata's, carrying great amounts of sorrow and heartbreak. "Many years ago, a band of slave-traders and their slaves were killed here by bandits, the dead were buried here."

"Were you the one who did it?" she asked, and surprisingly, the man nodded. He walked towards her, into the sunlight, and she could see his face fully. This man, he had a scar shaped much like the grave-markers that he had erected for the dead so long ago upon his left cheek, and the power that emanated from him… she could sense that he was on par at least with Saito or Hijikata at best.

The man could not help but nod at his question. "It was the only thing I could do for those who had already passed," he replied. "Now, in these times of the sword, when night cannot pass the city of Kyoto without a rain of blood, it is all that I can do."

Chizuru knew what was going on, even in the relative safety of the Shinsen-Gumi headquarters. Their country was in the midst of civil war, a bloody time where the sword was used to carve a world of peace, an irony that claimed not only the lives of the men that fought in it, but the women and the children as well. On one hand, those that fought on the side of the Satcho alliances claimed to wish to restore the Emperor's power from the Shogun's dominion, and on the other, the Bakufu struggled to maintain its own power. The Shinsen-Gumi had chose to protect the peace their nation formerly had, and hence, allied themselves with the Bakufu, the government that ruled Japan in peace for 260 years. She knew that everything anyone held dear at any point of their lives was about to be destroyed in this ongoing war.

"Will the grave-markers in this cemetery increase?" Chizuru asked the man further. "Will you continue to fight?" She did not ask whose side he was on, but it mattered little. Those that had died there could have been from the Ishin-shishi, or from the Bakufu. Both sides had their share of dead warriors, as well as those responsible for their deaths.

The man nodded as he erected a few more markers. "Yes, I would," he replied. "But only until I know when this war will end," he told her. "I have always fought for the coming of peace, and after this war, I shall never kill again until the day I die…"

Somehow, those words brought her great relief. "You're a good man, then," she said to him with the smile she had always worn. "Not many can live to that promise."

The man gave her a slight nod of his head, and retreated into the shadows on the far edge of the cemetery as quietly as he had come. She, on the other hand, gave him a full parting bow, and made her way back to the waterfall, where Hijikata was surely waiting for her.

"I should have known that you would have wandered somewhere else," he said to her rather condescendingly the moment she returned. "The village must have caught your eye."

Chizuru's eyes widened. How did he know that she was at the village? But then again, he had known that place for a very long time; it was natural that he would know everything about it. "I met someone there," she explained.

"A friend?" he asked her. With her personality, it was not difficult to image her meeting an old friend, or perhaps, making a new one. There was something about her that drew the eyes of others onto her, making them her well-wishers.

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "But he was a good man."

"A good man, indeed," Hijikata replied, "Then, we shall see if we are able to see him again. I want to apologize to him for having to deal with you." It was a joke on his part, and she knew it well. "Come, let's go home."

Chizuru nodded, and started to walk beside him as they made their way back to the Shinsen-Gumi headquarters, but not before walking to a spot on the mountain where they could see the entire city from where they stood, from the city gates to the ancient line of palaces and temples that surrounded the city, it was as though she was looking at a most beautiful painting, a painting that was living and breathing, just like any living being. The city of Kyoto seemed so much... alive, but she knew that all this was a mere facade. When nighttime came, it was an entirely different place altogether... But still, that did not stop her from falling in love with the city itself. That was because she had other things to cling to, other things that brought her much joy, that enabled her to see through the pain and suffering the night would bring...

* * *

><p>"Hijikata-san," she said to him when they parted ways at the entrance of the headquarters; he would move towards his rooms while she would resume her duties in the kitchen with whoever was tasked to help her make dinner for the night. "Thank you for bringing me to see the waterfall."<p>

"Don't mention it," he said, and patted her head before walking in the opposite direction. He would be looking forward for another outing just like that as well.

* * *

><p>HAN: Hey there, I thank all those who have read and reviewed this little fic of mine, and yes, the character I've hinted is indeed Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin! The logic is this: Both Hakuouki and the Rurouni Kenshin OVA (1 to 4) are being set during the time of the Bakumatsu. I would like to imagine that this fic takes place sometime after the Ikedaya Jiken (for obvious reasons) and after Tomoe from Rurouni Kenshin has died. And of course, I won't leave this hanging here, don't you worry! ^.^<p> 


	3. The Duel

One night passed since Chizuru had returned with Hijikata from their short journey to the hidden waterfall in the mountains, and that night itself, she steeled her heart when Yamazaki's reports came in during dinner time.

"I have information on the hitokiri," Yamazaki told Hijikata, Kondou and Sannan that night, while the rest of them listened to what he had to say as closely as they could. "Apparently, he is from the Choushu-han, a handpicked combatant chosen by Katsura Kogoro for his… talents." He paused at the last word of his sentence. "From what I heard, he is so well-versed in all the forms of Battoujutsu that the Choushu-han named him 'Battousai'".

"He will be one tough guy to beat," Kondou said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes deep in thought. "If anything, we must be careful. From here on out, we'll move two units to patrol the streets day and night."

Hijikata liked this new idea, and with the surge of new recruits, they could indeed handle the increased rounds with ease. "Chizuru, you'll be following on the night rounds too. We may need you to pass messages to the other units if need be." She had proven her use in the field since the time of the Ikedaya Incident as well as the Kinmon no Hen. If anything, her presence would be a welcome comfort to those who knew her as well, knowing that she would not be a sitting duck to those men who called themselves "oni".

"Hai," Chizuru answered with a slight bow, and he returned her gesture with a light smile. In fact, Harada, Heisuke, Shinpachi and Okita were all smiling along with them. "Eh?" she asked, looking back and forth at them. "Did I say anything?"

Shinpachi was the one who was quick to diffuse the situation. "Oh, nothing," he said, giving a casual wave of his hand to prove his point. "We're just happy that you're coming with us, Chizuru."

Harada nodded. "So that way, the last thing we'll see is your pretty face if and when we meet Battousai..."

Chizuru had heard his words and placed her hands towards her mouth to cover a gasp while Okita gave Harada a sharp kick in the knee at Hijikata's orders. It took her a few seconds to recover, and she said to Harada, "Let's hope that nothing of the sort happens, Harada-san."

"You may be right, Chizuru," Harada replied with a strained breath, feigning injury. "But then again, we'll never know when the hitokiri will strike, wouldn't we, since he eluded us during the Ikedaya Incident."

Saito, however, begged to differ. "He was there," he said, calmly as ever. "He just managed to avoid capture. I remember smelling the scent of hakubaiko when we were inspecting the dead… there was a woman with him."

"You're always up for the challenge, aren't you, Hajime-kun," Okita teased. Of course, he did not notice the presence of Battousai at all, since he had been dueling with the oni Kazama Chikage. "Wouldn't you want to fight against an enemy like Battousai?"

"That goes without saying," Saito replied. "I would see him dead before he is allowed to make any more mockery of our forces."

Okita sighed. "Yare-yare, Hajime-kun you're no fun at all," he added, "You should learn how to share the fun around."

Sannan chuckled. "With Battousai's skill, any common warrior would be felled quickly," he said. "I am sure that he will be a worthy challenge to you all."

With those last words, dinner continued without a sound, with each of them wondering what it would be like facing a real challenge in the form of the demon of the shadows that lurked in Kyoto during the night…

* * *

><p>If only they knew that whatever they had wished for would come sooner than they thought.<p>

* * *

><p>It was a warm summer's night when Okita's squad discovered a group of Ishin-shishi combatants on the prowl. They had stolen several letters between the high-ranking officials of the Bakufu conspiring against the Emperor from an important shrine in the city, and were on the run. Okita and his men had almost managed to capture them while Chizuru was sent to alert Saito's unit at the sight of them.<p>

But they came too late. Just as they were able to gain on them, a man appeared from behind the rebel's ranks. "Go back," he said coolly, his eyes, a deep violet that seemed so similar to that of Hijikata's. But to the warriors of the Shinsen-Gumi, they were empty and soulless, unlike that of their Vice-Commander's. Those eyes threatened death to all that dared to challenge him, and they knew exactly how many had fallen victim to him. "If you go back, you will be spared."

The men of the Shinsen-Gumi did not need mercy from a man like him. He was a hitokiri, a killer and nothing more. "Red hair and a scar like the word 'ju'," one of them noticed as he brought his lantern closer to the man's features. There was no doubt about it…

"It is the one and only Hitokiri Battousai," Okita said calmly, making his way through his men. If he had known that teasing Saito more could bring him what he had wanted, he could have done it more often.

There were no words exchanged between the two of them. The very moment Okita had passed the last of his men, he too, unsheathed his katana, and began the duel between himself and Battousai, relishing the change that he would be able to cross swords with such a formidable warrior.

The first strike ended at a stalemate, and the second one was quick in succession. Not a second had passed when Battousai had parried Okita's opening attack with the blade of his own katana. Knowing to expect a Battoujutsu attack from his enemy, Okita quickly added a slash from above, forcing Battousai to leap backwards to restart his attack. A leftward stroke was delivered, and Okita was able to intercept it in time.

The men watched in wonder as the duel continued, seeing for their very own eyes, the raw power that came from both warriors, and the true meaning of speed on Battousai's part. But there was a growing fear in their hearts that their Captain could not make it, for Okita had been constantly ill in the past few weeks, and was often seen coughing loudly… In the height of battle, they feared that… Nonetheless, Okita continued to fight, giving Battousai everything that he had, so much so that his last strike actually managed to create sparks when their katana clashed for the umpteenth time.

It soon became too much for Okita. Once again, he started to cough, and to make things worse, he was coughing blood.

"It is not over yet," Okita murmured, but soon felt a familiar presence of Ki approaching them from behind. He looked up, and realized that Saito was right there with them. Chizuru had done her duty well enough. It seemed evident that Saito had rushed to this place immediately, leaving his unit and the girl behind as he did. There was no need to worry though; they would keep up in time, he was sure of it.

"Stay back, Okita," Saito said in a low voice, his words a few notches above something like an animalistic growl. This man had crossed too many lines in one night, and Saito vowed that he would put an end to it that very moment.

"Hajime-kun…" Okita appealed, but to no avail, he was interrupted almost immediately by his friend and comrade.

"I cannot stand the stench of blood in battle," Saito said, unsheathing his katana. "You cannot fight like this in your current condition." There was no choice for Okita but to retreat back towards his men, and when they passed each other, Saito added, "Guard the girl."

Okita nodded, and started his long walk back.

Battousai said nothing, only acknowledging his change of opponent by diverting his gaze towards Saito. The two of them started to get into their respective stances, Saito, in the form of the Shinsen-Gumi's own style, formulated by Hijikata since the early days of their organization's formation, with the blade of his katana upturned, ready for a quick, left-handed thrust, a variation known as Gatotsu, and Battousai, with his katana sheathed, his left foot in front of his right.

"Let us begin," Saito said, and began charging towards Battousai. It was a thrust that any common foe could never deflect, but with Battousai, it seemed easier than dodging a common blow. At once, Saito knew that this man was a survivor of so many bloody battles because of his quick wit. Battousai seemed to have a vast amount of knowledge in kenjutsu, and was able to read his every move; however, he was not the only one with a quick mind. Saito too, possessed a similar ability, but due to his heavier build, his attacks landed a much greater force. Conversely, Battousai's incredible speed enabled him not only to evade Saito's every move, but also create a few surprises of his own...

It was a spectacular duel, with Saito's accurate strokes, and Battousai's near-acrobatic skills, the both of them moving at practically as fast as the human eye could trace their movements. "Saito-san!" a clear voice interrupted them. A female's voice… It was Chizuru.

Battousai stopped attacking immediately, and sheathed his katana.

"We have to get Okita-san back to the headquarters," Chizuru pressed further. She knew that it was unwise to interrupt Saito when he was in combat, but she also knew that Okita's survival was more important than the head of a mere hitokiri. There would be another chance to fight. There will surely be another chance to fight. "Please, Saito-san, he needs medicine!"

She looked up towards Saito, who did not answer her, but began to sheath his weapon. "This fight will continue in the future," Saito said to his opponent, who was hidden in the shadows.

"And so it shall," Battousai replied. That voice… Chizuru could have sworn she had heard that voice before… But where?

* * *

><p><em>I have always fought for the coming of peace, and after this war, I shall never kill again, until the day I die…<em>

* * *

><p>It was the man she had met in the cemetery near the waterfall! How was it possible that he was the infamous Hitokiri Battousai? She knew that she had to keep what she knew to herself, for it would do no one in the Shinsen-Gumi any good if they knew that she had met him before, even though she did not know who he was then.<p>

"Go," Battousai pressed on. "There is no need for us to continue this fight. My mission this night was to protect my brothers; it seems that yours is the same as mine."

Saito nodded. "I will await your next challenge," he replied, and started to help Okita up, supporting him as they walked back towards their headquarters. So long as the rebels survived, so long as Battousai was still on the battlefield, there would still be a chance that they would meet again.

"What a fight it was," Okita said, pausing laboriously between words. "No wonder they say that he's among the best… And those eyes, for a second there, his eyes almost turned amber… " It was an old Japanese saying that those who had grown accustomed to the taste of blood, those who had taken lives upon lives, they would have amber eyes, their souls forever twisted by those that they had killed. "But," he added, "I've seen those eyes on you as well, Hajime-kun."

Immediately, Chizuru's gaze darted towards Saito. Okita was surely teasing Saito again. His eyes were perfectly normal, a clear, sapphire-hue. "Okita-san, please," Chizuru hushed him. He was not well enough to talk so much, and luckily for her, Okita obeyed.

"He is a good man," Saito said. He now knew how this enemy warrior had functioned. Hitokiri Battousai was no mere assassin, he was a Choushu warrior with one single purpose. His function was not to cut down as many Bakufu combatants as possible, but to protect his allies. He had not been among those who had stolen the letters from the shrine, but he had appeared before the Shinsen-Gumi to protect those men… In a war when all sides struggled for what little power that they could usurp from one another, what Battousai was doing was indeed noble.

Chizuru looked at Saito and smiled. It was good that they could agree on something on their new enemy, if Battousai was to be called as such. Saito returned the gesture, and placed a reassuring hand upon her shoulder. "I am sure that he will keep his word," he said, and Chizuru nodded.

There would always be a time to fight, but there would also be a time to live as well.

* * *

><p>HAN: Hello there! I absolutely loved writing this scene! ^.^ Most probably it was one of my favorite scenes in the Rurouni Kenshin saga. I do know that I am writing a Hakuouki fanfic here, hence, I left out some... characteristics of Saito that are specific to that anime series and more of the Saito that we know and love here in Hakuouki. ^.^ However, the end has yet to come, so do watch out for that!<p>

Also, about how the Shinsen-Gumi referenced Kenshin's scar. In the orignal Japanese dub, they said that it was a "ju-ji kisu", meaning that the scar looked like the word "ju", which means ten, which looks like this [十]. It would be meaningless to say that it was a cross-shaped scar because the Japanese at that time would have little knowledge of crosses.


	4. Epilogue

Tokyo (formerly Edo)

Year: 1879 (Twelfth Year of Meiji)

Autumn

* * *

><p>If they had known that their lives would forever be entwined with that of one another's, they would never have parted ways in the first place. Perhaps, if they did not, there would be a chance that the Shinsen-Gumi would still exist, no longer as a myth, or stories to be told between aging grandfathers in tea-shops reminiscing on the past. If… fate had been kinder to them, those at their table for lunch, would not be such a measly little number…<p>

"Has it really been nine years since… that day?" one of them asked, looking towards the only woman at the table. In her arms was a beautiful baby girl with eyes the color of honey, just like hers, while her older child, a son, sat to her left. There was no other way in which she could answer that question, save a smile and a nod. After receiving his answer, he merely sighed, and closed his olive-hued eyes in contemplation.

It might have been nine years since that fateful day when they were forced to disappear into the shadows of time, but it had been fifteen years since the first day she had met all of them… Has it been such a long time? Fifteen years… they were no longer young warriors looking for a place in the world that would take them in, finally finding it amongst themselves, fighting with whatever they had to protect one another, they were now ordinary citizens, living ordinary lives, teaching kenjutsu has a hobby and sport… It was… ironic, as they were the ones having a dojo that was going to collapse if a strong wind should blow in their direction in Edo…

"Heh, Saito's had it easy," said another, looking across the table towards the one who was eating his soba quietly. "The Government's got him an exciting job killing corrupt officials and things like that."

The one named Saito remained silent for a moment, continuing to eat the last few strands of his soba. "At least one of us has to surface," he replied. "The Government would not believe that Shinpachi and I are the only ones surviving…"

"Maa… I guess that's the way it is then," said a third man, placing an arm around his wife's shoulder while watching his son eating quietly (the child was old enough to know that what they were talking about was not relevant to him, nor would he understand any part of it). "Frankly, I'm just glad that we all made it out alive." In the past, it was evident that he fought for the survival of their organization, but now, there was no need for that, and he was… glad.

The man called Shinpachi chuckled rather mischievously. "You're the one to talk," he said, casting a knowing glance towards the man with a family. "We all thought that you couldn't make it after your duel with Kazama… Your wife must've almost died of a heart attack…"

He was interrupted by the woman. "Mou, that's enough," she exclaimed, not wanting to relive the shock and the pain to her heart that nearly came to her that night. All she knew was that their darkest days were over, and that she never wanted to taste the pain of war again, not in her lifetime, and not in that of her children's.

She would have said more, being more and more condescending in her adulthood as her husband had been in his youth. It was a natural habit gained while living with the jokers that she had been dining with (save for Saito, because he had a family of his own), and by then, she had her fair share of… moments with them. Just as she was going to open her mouth again, she looked up towards the entrance of a restaurant and saw a very, very familiar face.

A man with hair red like fire, and a scar on his left cheek… His eyes, they were the exact same color as that of her husband's, but they were no longer soulless and empty. No, those eyes were filled with a sense of contentment, hope and peace… She knew that man, and his gaze fell onto their table as well.

They did not verbally acknowledge one another, save for Saito, who gave them a quick nod. The rest of them knew of the man's dealings with Saito during the previous year, when the both of them had saved Japan from a deranged pyromaniac that almost forced their country into chaos yet again, but they knew that any exchange of greetings on their part were not necessary, for they represented a past that each of them had to remember, to fight for, so that it would never be repeated.

"Kenshin," said the raven-haired woman said to him, revealing his name to they who only knew him by that title that he had created for himself based upon his skill with the blade. She was speaking softly, but with their skill, they could hear every word of the conversation that would come. "Did you know those people with Saito?"

He smiled and nodded, without taking a second glance at them. "I did," he said, remembering the battles that they had in the past. He remembered the woman who was with them as well, and remembered that she had been dressed as if she was a boy, acting as a messenger between patrolling units... "They were all good people, even if we met in a time of great evil."

After hearing his words, they smiled between themselves, for he had spoken the exact words they had used for him.

* * *

><p>HAN: I told you guys I was keeping this short and sweet! ^.^ However, I did not intend for this to be an AU-ending, in which they all get back together, and Chizuru having Hijikata's kids. I don't even KNOW how to logically explain how Hijikata had survived, seeing that he was a Rasetsu as well. Hmmm. Oh well, I hope that you all liked it as I have loved writing this! ^.^ Thank you!<p> 


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